Selective Laser Melting Process

The laser will heat particles in specified places on a bed of metallic
powder until completely melted. The CAD 3D file dictates where
melting will occur.

Then, the machine will successively add another bed of powder above
the melted layer, until the object is completely finished.

Selective Laser Melting Applications

The most common applications for this technology are in the aerospace
industry, as complex parts can be made with additive manufacturing,
which overcomes the limitations of conventional manufacturing.
It can also result in the reduction of parts needed.

It also has applications in the medical field where some prosthetics
are created with this technology, allowing the model to be customised
to the patient's anatomy.

Manufacturing metallic parts by 3D printing can also be donewith
DMLS (Direct Metal Laser
Sintering) technology. The main difference between these two technologies is
the degree to which the particles are melted; they are not
completely melted with DMLS.

Different materials are available with this technology, namely steel,
titanium, aluminium, cobalt-chromium and nickel alloys.

This patented technology was discovered in 1995 by the German research
instituteFraunhofer Institute ITL. The primary manufacturer of
machines using this technology is Germany's SLM solution GmbH.
To see where this technology fits within the range of professional
printers, your can browse our guide to professional printers.